This is how my mum manages her own situation

1. You must always have a cup or tin for measuring food to cook, so if someone will not eat out of it you know how many cups to deduct from it.
2. Always check the freezer for leftovers, e.g if beans is there you can cook small rice to complement it and vice versa.
3. There is always someone in the house who is always hungry or too lazy to cook or doesn't mind leftovers find who that person is and always associate that person with left overs.
4. You can always give leftovers to neighbours, guard etc but make sure it is well packaged.

All you need is a good fridge (better deep freezer) (effectively working, though the power situation in Nigeria), a microwave and some plastic takeaways. :-)

ifyalways: Strict discipline. . .teaching by example.

Cooked food stored in the freezer MUST be consumed before cooking any new thing. No junks,juices(unless home made) when there is food in the house. Keep everyone's left over in the fridge, microwave and force the person to eat it for next day/meal. Kids would only cry,pull stunts but when they see you wont give in,they comply.

Get a generator that can power-on your freezer.

I have kids and this works for me. Plain old discipline and rules. shikena

You don kill me be that.

Stillfire:

You don kill me be that.

Lol. Sorry ooo.

Nobody throws away or reject food in my house. You eat whatsoever is placed in front of you . No questions.

Your solution is just deep freezer and constant power supply.

ifyalways:
Lol. Sorry ooo.

Nobody throws away or reject food in my house. You eat whatsoever is placed in front of you . No questions.

but there will sometimes some exceptions ma?

It isn't easy not to have wastage in a home especially when children are involved but it could be minimized. Get a measurement cup for food that can't be stored in the freezer for long after being cooked. Let everyone take the quantity they can finish, no left overs.

In my home, we take the portions we can finish. If I catch you waste food. Next time I will make sure u take half of the portion you normally eat. Though for now I have a stable power supply in my area, so any left over food is stored and eaten later.

The key thing is that cook the quantity you can finish. And let everyone finish what they dished. Enforce discipline on children, meaning no changing mine after the food has been cooked. Ify's ways look harsh but I tell you it is the best way. I remember when I was growing up, there was no separate food for anybody. Whatsoever is being served is what everyone will eat, so I didn't have a choice but to eat it whether I like it or not. In this case, there was no wastage in our house then.

greatgod2012:


but there will sometimes some exceptions ma?

Yeah.

When one is not very strong, you go easy on them.

D children must have particular foods they lv, prepare more of that.
As for u tayour, ur assss need to flogged for wasting food.
If u can't discipline urself, I wonder how u will discipline d kids
Abeg, where road to ur house?

moca: D children must have particular foods they lv, prepare more of that.
As for u tayour, ur assss need to flogged for wasting food.
If u can't discipline urself, I wonder how u will discipline d kids
Abeg, where road to ur house?

Hmmmm my sister,my own issue sef tire me ooo. As am typing this am munching on samosa and that's what have been eating since morning o,I never chop correct food. I cooked yam and egg stew this morning o but I never taste am,only hubby and the kids ate.

Most times I just loose interest in the food when am done cooking. Hubby don talk talk talk.

taryour:

Hmmmm my sister,my own issue sef tire me ooo. As am typing this am munching on samosa and that's what have been eating since morning o,I never chop correct food. I cooked yam and egg stew this morning o but I never taste am,only hubby and the kids ate.

Most times I just loose interest in the food when am done cooking. Hubby don talk talk talk.

It seems u r d picky type.
Hv seen some like that.
Concentrate on what hubby and d kids like. Better that way.
Small quantity does it.

Ujujoan: Get a Dog!

Case Closed!

ifyalways:
Lol. Sorry ooo.

Nobody throws away or reject food in my house. You eat whatsoever is placed in front of you . No questions.

Similar rule in my home...est as much as you want BUT don't waste my food!

My youngest son has even learnt to seal up any excess in a plastic take-away container and store in the deep freezer. The only exception to that rule is for soups. Any left over is best flushed down the toilet.

EfemenaXY:
Similar rule in my home...est as much as you want BUT don't waste my food!
My youngest son has even learnt to seal up any excess in a plastic take-away container and store in the deep freezer. The only exception to that rule is for soups. Any left over is best flushed down the toilet.

Gbam, Its good to start them early. I will sit with you for 2 hours throw all your tantrums but that food you must eat it oh.

Food industry regulations give expiry dates for food, after which you run the risk of food contamination.

However, different places may have different practices.

But a general rule of thumb is if food has stayed past a certain period, you dispose of it.

Especially with all these gmo foods which are not organic.

Same reason why the law requires food providers to not store food beyond certain stipulated times.


When you see mold on your rice, or if it starts to draw like okro even if its in the fridge, throw it away, don't say because of how things are done in nigeria, you must eat it.

And try the smell test- if it doesn't smell fresh, then neither will you.


Only certain foods like stockfish are exempt from this rule.

Oyinbos know the risks involved in eating food, that's why they tend to be more particular about what they eat.

If you're trying to cut down on waste, probably cooking less food would help, as others have stated.

Freezing too, I guess.

aisha2:


Gbam, Its good to start them early. I will sit with you for 2 hours throw all your tantrums but that food you must eat it oh.

Lol!

But I don't force them to eat, if they don't want. That would only create "food issues" for them, especially for the very young ones. Last thing I want to do is make meal times a battle ground. I remember I used to worry when they were toddlers that they'll starve themselves to death, but my/their health visitor assured me that children wouldn't starve themselves and would eat when hungry... And that forcing them would only encourage them to "act" up.

The key is to introduce variety and a healthy selection. Hard concept to adopt as a mum, I know but it works for my two year old daughter. I used to fret over her pickyness but was assured that her weight was absolutely fine. Sigh...they go through stages...today's favourite becomes next week's no-no.

I also find that sitting together as a family at the table during meal times works wonders.

EfemenaXY:

Lol!

But I don't force them to eat, if they don't want. That would only create "food issues" for them, especially for the very young ones. Last thing I want to do is make meal times a battle ground. I remember I used to worry when they were toddlers that they'll starve themselves to death, but my/their health visitor assured me that children wouldn't starve themselves and would eat when hungry... And that forcing them would only encourage them to "act" up.

The key is to introduce variety and a healthy selection. Hard concept to adopt as a mum, I know but it works for my two year old daughter. I used to fret over her pickyness but was assured that her weight was absolutely fine. Sigh...they go through stages...today's favourite becomes next week's no-no.

I also find that sitting together as a family at the table during meal times works wonders.

I say sit with them because one has the habit of refusing to eat but immediately you buy snacks he is suddenly hungry so eat your food and have a snack, throw all the tantrums you want but you will eat.
The older one has outgrown it sha and now na me dey complain

aisha2:

I say sit with them because one has the habit of refusing to eat but immediately you buy snacks he is suddenly hungry so eat your food and have a snack, throw all the tantrums you want but you will eat.
The older one has outgrown it sha and now na me dey complain

Haha!

I'd always heard that teenage boys can eat like soldiers and used to think it was an exaggeration. Now I'm experiencing it live, I concede.

Re: snacks...little miss does that too. Negotiating with a two year old can be a Herculean task, so I just keep snacks out of sight. You know the saying: Out of sight is out of mind...

God bless our homes sha.